Becky's View: A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey
♦publisher: Walker Children's
♦release date: January 7th, 2014
♦hardcover, 496 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: The Lovegrove Legacy, book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review

In 1814, three cousins—Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope—discover their family lineage of witchcraft when a binding spell is broken, allowing their individual magical powers to manifest. Now, beyond the manicured gardens and ballrooms of Regency London, an alluring underworld available only to those with power is revealed to the cousins. By claiming their power, the three cousins have accidentally opened the gates to the underworld.

Now ghouls, hellhounds—and most terrifying of all, the spirits of dark witches known as the Greymalkin Sisters—are hunting and killing young debutante witches for their powers. And, somehow, Emma is connected to the murders…because she keeps finding the bodies.

Can the cousins seal the gates before another witch is killed…or even worse, before their new gifts are stripped away?

Review: A Breath of Frost is a fun addition to the YA world of witchy stories.  Alyxandra Harvey has a great way with characters, making the reader not fall instantly in love with them, but letting her characters earn their own fans (or enemies, as the case may be!) as the story unfolds.  I did find the beginning to be a bit rocky, with so much thrown at you at once, different things happening without much explanation, many different characters being introduced right away---it was a bit hard to follow and it was a while before I really felt gripped into the story. It did eventually do just that and I found a compelling world of witches and magic and legacy.

The story had many great elements. Three cousins with an endearingly close relationship discover they are witches---and not just any witches, they are Lovegroves, a witching family with a notorious reputation.  They find themselves thrown into a finishing school for witches and also in the thick of several mysterious murders. All three are so distinct in their personalities, but each respects the other so much. The story is mostly told from Emma's perspective as she finds her way in this strange new world of magic. She faces off against the school snob and the boy who kissed her and didn't come calling after. Most importantly, she tries to find out what happened to her mother and how it all ties in to the recent ghostly occurances.  Oh, and she gets horns. That would no doubt put a damper on any girl's ability to fit in to the proper manners of the 1800s.  But she definitely proves herself a fighter in the face of all that.

At first, I was not a fan of the romance between Emma and Cormac because he just seemed too cold at first, almost to the point of being mean. But he grew on me and slowly proved himself to be trustworthy and honorable and even charming at times.  Their sparring at the beginning makes for a fun gradual build-up toward the flirtations and romance.  And there is so much else going on in this story, the romance is good, but it's really just one small side plot. 

There are some definite creepy moments, not suprising in a story full of ghosts and ghouls, fairies and shapeshifters, and the merciless Greymalkin sisters. The writing, while sometimes a bit choppy, was atmospheric and descriptive, and the flow of the story was full of twists.  While the ending didn't really take me by surprise, I didn't think it was completely predictable either.  I will say that the reveal of the traitor in the end felt like kind of a "typical" choice.  Still, I really enjoyed this story full of mystery, a huge cast of great characters and a wonderfully crafted magical world. 

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Review: Haunting Violet

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

release date: June 21st, 2011

hardcover, 352 pages

intended audience: Young adult

rating:


source: Around the World ARC Tours

description: Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

Review: I tend to love stories set in the Victorian era,... the propriety, the gowns and corsets (though I am grateful the world of women's fashion has long since left corsets behind!), the birth of the seance and a craze over mediums. This one was no exception, I really enjoyed it.

I loved the characters in this book. Violet was a great protagonist, a proper young lady in spite of her position in society but with a great sense of wit, mostly heard through her inner dialogue. Possibly a little on the shy side outwardly, having constantly lived in the shadow of a very demanding, showy mother. It was easy to relate to her and to feel compassion for her and cheer her on. I adored her best friend, Elizabeth. They're closeness and sense of fun was just the perfect touch to lighten the darkness of this ghostly story. Colin was easily my favorite character: humble but brave, funny but passionate...and could sneak a kiss on a girl like nobody's business! Loved him. Oh, and Mr. Rochester...loved him, too, but you'll have to read the book to find out who he is! :)

I loved reading about all the tricks and wool-pulling tactics Violet's mother used to perform her fake seances. You could easily see how much research the author put in to make it as accurate as possible. Funny thing was, Violet begins to actually see real ghosts. The ghost of a drowned girl comes to Violet, insistent that she solve her murder. That's where the story takes quite a creepy turn! It did get off to kind of slow start for me, took about 50 or 60 pages to really pick up. Then there were some moments of brilliance, but also a few moments that left me scratching my head. There were a few times when I was left wondering, "Why did that person react that way? Was it just to make him look like a suspect?" But despite the slow start and a few confusing quirks, this turned into a great, entertaining murder mystery with a nice mix of spookiness, romance, and few good laughs.

Visit Alyxandra Harvey's site here.

Get a sneak peek of Haunting Violet here!

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